A KEEN gardener has been left gnome alone after a kidnapper snatched her new friend.

Joanne Allen is hunting the person who stole - or liberated - her brand-new garden ornament from outside her home in Abigail Way, Oswaldtwistle.

Gardening fan Joanne spent £5 on Eddie the gnome, who is dressed in an England football kit, only for him to be stolen the day after she put him on show.

Rather than get Sherlock Gnomes on the case, the mum-of-three has created posters to put up around her home begging for his safe return.

The gnome-napper left a note which stated: "Thank you for buying me. Now you have set me free I have to go to visit towns, cities and overseas. Your kindness will not be forgotten. I will send you letters and postcards to remind you of me."

But so far there has been no demand for a ransom.

Joanne said: "I'm really upset. I can imagine getting photos of him sent back to us if someone takes him off gnoming around the world. At first I thought some friends had taken him as a joke but they have sworn to me it wasn't them.

"I'm going to be putting posters up asking for whoever has taken him to remember there's no place like gnome and bring him back.''

It is suspected the kidnap could have been organised by someone inspired by www.freethegnomes.com , which contains an appeal to end British "slavery" of gnomes.